2016-17 TV Season: NBC Leads Demo, CBS Takes Viewers, ‘This Is Us’ No. 1 New Show

The 2016-17 TV season has officially concluded, with NBC claiming the overall top spot in adults 18-49 and CBS winning the season in total viewers, according to Nielsen’s current numbers (live-plus-seven for all but the last two weeks of the season ending May 24).

CBS’ win marks the ninth consecutive season the network has topped the total viewers measurement, and their 14th win in the past 15 years, according to Nielsen’s ratings through May 21. CBS averaged 9.6 million viewers, approximately 1.5 million more than second place NBC.

NBC averaged a 2.1 rating in adults 18-49, versus a 1.9 for Super Bowl-boosted Fox, 1.8 for CBS, and 1.6 for ABC. Compared to last year, only Fox stayed even in the key demo. CBS suffered the biggest drop, shedding 22% of its audience in the demo year-over-year. ABC dropped 16%, with the CW next at a drop of 12%, while NBC slipped just 5%. In total viewers, it was much the same story. Fox and NBC improved slightly, with Fox ticking up 1% and NBC up 0.1% from the 2015-16 season. Despite taking the top spot, CBS was down 12% in viewers. ABC dropped 9% and The CW lost 9%. Nevertheless, Fox has its most watched primetime in three years.

Various broadcasts of NFL football on NBC and CBS again claimed the top spots in the primetime rankings, but NBC’s freshman series “This Is Us” proved to be the undisputed scripted breakout hit of the new season, clocking in at No. 5 overall just below “The Big Bang Theory.” Perennial favorites “Modern Family,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Bachelor,” and “The Voice” rounded out the overall top 10. CBS’ Michael Weatherly starrer “Bull” was the top new show in total viewers, averaging 15.5 million viewers in L7 for the season. “This Is Us” was close behind with 15.3 million.

When looking only at new series from this season, Fox had five freshman shows in the top 15 — “Lethal Weapon,” “24: Legacy,” “Star,” “Prison Break,” and “The Mick” — which is more than any other broadcast network. ABC’s “Designated Survivor” also proved very popular, placing second among new shows behind “This Is Us.” For CBS, both “Bull” and “Kevin Can Wait” ranked just below “Lethal Weapon.”

Most broadcast shows saw declines in ratings yet again. “Empire” remained one of the top-rated shows on television with a 4.3, making it the third highest-rated scripted show behind “This Is Us” and “Big Bang.” However, the show suffered a 33% drop in the demo compared to last season. ABC’s “Scandal” and “How to Get Away With Murder” saw similar drops, with both shows dropping over 20% each. NBC’s “The Blacklist” saw a 25% drop, while “Chicago Med” dipped 13%. However, “Chicago Fire” held even and “Chicago P.D.” even improved slightly.

View the network rankings and the top 50 broadcast series from 2016-17 below:

Adults 18-49 Rating, All programs
NBC…2.1
Fox…1.9
CBS…1.8
ABC…1.6
The CW…0.7

Total Viewers, All Programs
CBS…9.6 million
NBC…8.1 million
ABC…6.2 million
Fox…5.8 million
The CW…1.8 million